7 News Belize

Another Shooting Near The Much Troubled Meighan Brothers
posted (June 4, 2012)
And, two more men were shot in Belize City - this one happened on Banak Street - which has seen a number of shootings in the past few months.

The shootings likely targeted the Meighan brothers. Ellis and Tyrone - but their neighbour 27 year old Wilbert Dominguez and 31 year old Kenroy Thomas were shot.

It happened at 9:25 on Friday night and the police press officer told us more:..

Inspector Fitzroy Yearwood - Police Press Officer
"One Wilhem is a resident of that area said that he was out there socializing with some friends when a black vehicle came up from the direction of Lakeview street towards the boulevard. These men got close and then began firing at them, causing injuries to Wilhem and one of his friends, a young man Thomas."

"We cannot say for certain that it is related to the Meighan brothers but it's not too far of a distance from the residence. After this recent shooting on Friday, we have posted patrol in that area and we are looking at other patrols that we will put in place not necessarily for protecting that home but other residence of that area also because as you notice two other persons has been hit on Friday, so we want to prevent any further incident of this nature."

Dominguez has been discharged while Thomas is in a stable condition.

Today we spoke to Shelly Meighan - she's the mother of Meighan brothers - who herself was shot in the foot a few weeks ago. She was in the family home on Friday night when the shooting happened - and she told us how they shot up her car - she asked to appear off camera....

Shelly Meighan - mother
"My car was shot up. My daughter missed is by not even a minute. She just went inside because she was socializing with two guys that got shot. They are our neighbors. We were out here from 5pm. I just pull the curtain and I told her to come inside because it's getting late and she reach in at the door the shots was fired. My two neighbors got shot."

Monica Bodden
"They were outside?"

Shelly Meighan
"They were outside with my daughter, she walk off and she went inside. The two of them got shot, their house got shot, and my car got shot up. One of the bullets went through the zinc but it didn't hit inside the house because it is cement."

"The police told us to cooperate with them. I told them what had happened that night, so they cannot say that I am giving them a hard time. I cannot say what I didn't see because I was not outside. I told them that someone was circling the area, I gave them that information, but I don't know who it is because I was not outside."

"I am trying, Monica to tell you the truth I am even afraid to come to the gate to stand up. I am afraid to even open the door. I understand that my sons did a lot of things in their past, but Belize is so out of control, it doesn't matter what you do, it will come back to haunt you."

"What can I do? They say to move, but move and go where? This is my home. They don't understand my life. I would want them to sit down with me and tell them what all I have been through. I have a 16 year old at home, I am afraid to go in the kitchen. They don't know what it feels like. Yes it's my sons that make our life like that, but how can we come out? How can we change? What does Belize have to offer that they can come out from that life that they were living to get a job? Their lives will still be in jeopardy because they already made their lives like that."

"I don't support what they were doing in the past. I am trying to help them because I am their mother and I am the only person that they have to hang on to. I try my best, everyone can tell you. They always say that I am the police station; I will always be there for them. I don't encourage them to get guns to shoot anybody, I am not like that. I love them yes because they are my children and I will never stop loving them, but the police are harassing us too much. Every other weekend I am at the police station. I can understand because they (police) are helping. Sometimes I feel safer that they (my sons) are there than at home. But the police put a bogus charge on my son Tyrone when they know that he wasn't there."

And while that was one shooting, later on that that night - at about 11:00 there was another shooting that in the same area. Police were patrolling when shots were heard on Cemetery Road; when police responded they saw Ellis Meighan and another man coming in some the bushes. Police searched the areas and came up with Meighan - who was taken to station and detained.

The following day, police asked to question his younger brother Tyrone Meighan - who they picked up at his home. They held him for 48 hours - and when his mother went to pick him up this afternoon, she found that he has been charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public.

Today this embattled mother says it's not fair because no weapon was found:..

Shelly Meighan
"It was after 11 that I heard gunshots. I heard gunshots echoed on Cemetery Road, not on Banak Street. There was no shooting on Banak Street. I heard gunshots echoed on Cemetery Road, so I told my daughter to go run on Cemetery Road to see if Ellis got shot because I didn't know. At that time I started to tremble, she ran and I ran behind her. When I got there police was already there. I ask the officer if it was my son Ellis that got shot, they didn't answer me."

I ran back on Banak Street, Mr. Jemott was park right here with his vehicle. He told me to get down because there were shots firing on the other side. I didn't move, I stood right there, my daughter Shenike calls me and told me to come because they are bringing out Ellis. I ran back over that side when they were bringing him out. He said that he was ok and he wanted me to go inside. I ask him where his brother was and he said that it was neither him nor his brother. He told me to go inside."

"The officers took Ellis to the station. When Mr. Jemott came he said that he wanted to see Tyrone, so I told him that I will bring Tyrone in. The officer told me that he will search the area because Ellis had thrown away a gun in the bushes. I said no problem, they brought Ellis and they search the whole area but they did not find anything."

Monica Bodden
"They search with dogs?"

Shelly Meighan
"They brought dogs from Belmopan and they did not find anything. The afternoon I called a lawyer and he took Tyrone in for me. They charge him for aggravated assault and for discharging a firearm in public. The police didn't find Tyrone in this area any at all. I took Tyrone in with a lawyer. If my sons do something then please charge them for something that they did."

"If Ellis and Tyrone were coming up the street there is no way that a police can tell the difference because they dress and look alike. When Ellis saw the police he ran into the bushes. How would they see Tyrone discharge a firearm or shoot after them? They did not find my son nowhere around this area. I took him."

"Now they come to shoot up at my home and now I have to take the penalty because my son is going to jail. That is totally wrong. So how comes they don't charge Ellis and it was Ellis that they found in the area. They charged someone that wasn't in the area that they say they see."

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